Say Something
by mariontyler
Summary: After the Doctor gets angry at Rose, she gets hit by a car and slips into a coma. The Doctor feels guilty beyond measure and struggles to not run away. Rather sad and angsty. R&R!


**This was based off of the songs "What Are Words" and "Say Something." (I suggest that you watch "Say Something" as done by Jackie Evancho and Cheyenne Jackson) (I also suggest that you watch "What Are Words" by the Piano Guys. A masterpiece) If you haven't heard those songs, I am telling you right now that you need to look them up before you read this.**

 **No, really. Right now.**

 **As in, right this second.**

 **I'm not joking. These songs are beautiful. You're missing out.**

 **Fine. Whatever. Have it your way. But really, the songs are so beautiful and they fit perfectly with this piece. Enjoy!**

The Doctor was working underneath the console when Rose walked in, dressed for a day of adventure and running. She was excited for what the day (if she could really call it that, seeing as it was sort of timeless on the TARDIS) would bring.

Watching him work underneath the grating became a regular sight to her. She had been traveling with him for almost a year now and there was always something to keep him busy. She didn't understand why though. The TARDIS obviously didn't need as many repairs as he gave it- her- whatever. They could be doing something fun right now, but he was stuffed under there instead. Well, that means it would be up to her to get him out of there.

"Mornin', Doctor!" Rose announced as she bounded up to him. Considering that he bonked his head while looking up, she guessed that he hadn't realized she was there.

"Well, waddya do that for?" His Northern drawl sounded even funnier when it was muffled from where he was. She sat Indian-style on the grating next to him and tried to see what he was doing.

"Just sayin' hello. That's all." Rose looked down at his work. "Wotcha doin'?"

He sighed. "Somethin' that is frankly quite brilliant to the point that you wouldn't even have an inkling what I'd be sayin' if I were to tell ya. So don't bother askin'. Just stay outta the way."

What was with him today? He usually only acted this way around Mickey or Jackie and had occasionally done this when she'd first started traveling with him. Now she was pretty sure that she knew him better than anyone and for him to get an attitude wasn't really him. "Someone's a bit tetchy."

"Yes, I am. Now, would you mind?" Rose huffed and got up from where she was. She sat herself down on the captain's seat next to some sort of contraption that was likely a part for the TARDIS. "Where are we right now?" She asked, despite the fact that he seemed to be quite annoyed todayand didn't really want to talk.

"New York City, New York, in the United States of America, the year 2019." He answered, sounding a bit agitated.

"Why are we here? What's goin' on out there?" Rose was excited. She had never been to past, present, future, or alien New York and had only rarely been to America. This was a treat for her.

"It's just where the TARDIS landed us while I do repairs. I've not been to the time enough to know exactly what's been happenin' here."

"Can I-"

"No, Rose. You can't go out there." He interrupted. "Not until I do an environment check."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Doctor, it's Earth. There's not anythin' wrong with the air or anythin'."

"Rose…" He said, drawing out the vowel.

"Fine." She crossed her legs and tried her best to look discontent, so that he might let her go anyway, but it was a bit of a stretch. The Doctor could stand firm when he wanted to.

"Could you hand me that thing on the seat next to you." He said not looking up. She moved to grab it. "Be careful, though. It is extremely fragile. Drop it or hold it the wrong way and it breaks. I really, really need that part, so don't do anything that might break it."

It looked like a strong metal to her, but the way that he described it made it sound like glass. She began to wonder if perhaps he was talking about something else. Rose picked the part up, but, despite the Doctor's warning, she wasn't prepared for the fragility of the object and it slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor. Metal shards went everywhere, even dropping through the holes in the grating.

"Rose!" The Doctor jumped out of his workspace and dashed over to where the pieces were scattered. Rose stared at them with her eyes wide and mouth agape. She hadn't meant to. It just surprised her that was all. It was an accident. The Doctor didn't realize that though.

"Rose, you stupid ape!" He shouted at her. She stepped back in surprise. "I told you to be careful! That was important! Do you even know what that was? It'll be extremely difficult to replace that! I needed it and you ruined it! It's your fault, Rose! Your fault!"

By this point, Rose had tears running down her cheeks. The Doctor had never been this mean to her before. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to." She offered, but he didn't hear her. He was so caught up in his fit.

"Of all the people to travel withi choose a stupid ape! You're always botchin' things up, makin' a mess! First, your dad and now this! What's it gonna be next?! Can't you do anything right?! Is it really that hard to just listen to what I say?!"

She shook her head and ran out the TARDIS doors into a New York alley. The Doctor, however, did not notice this, he was too busy shouting.

"How stupid!" The Doctor scolded himself. "I should have just gotten up got it myself. But instead I left it to a dumb human. Now I'll have to go find another one! 'Course it would be that she would break!"

He ranted on for a while longer before simmering down a bit. He was still angry. Furious, actually. She had just broken a part that they couldn't travel without for much longer and was incredibly rare. It was going to be torture to find another one and replace it.

The Doctor looked around, just now realizing that Rose had left the room. Immediately, he felt guilty. He had shouted and raved at her, called her stupid ape again, even brought up her dad. He knew that it was a sensitive subject, so ever since the incident, he hadn't mentioned Pete at all. But now, he just used it as a weapon to bring her lower and lower. What must she think of him now?

Ever since the Dalek in the bunker, he'd known what he felt for what he'd just called a dumb human. He had fallen hard and fast, but how can he call that love if it was so easy for him to insult her and make her run away from him? Hopes that she reciprocated those feelings vanished now. Why should she love an old Time Lord like him anyway? Especially one who was so mean to her?

Standing, he wondered where on the ship she might be. But figured she'd come out in her own time. Whenever that might be. For now, he just went to the library to look for any clues as to where he might find a replacement for the part.

After a good hour, the Doctor had gotten a few ideas to look, but had also wondered where Rose got off to. No doubt she'd not want to talk to him if she thought she were gonna get another earful of what he just told her.

First, he tried her room, a likely place she'd go to cry her head off. Which, once again, reminded him of what he said to her and made him want to find her even more.

He took a quick glance there and then in the bathroom connected to her bedroom, but she wasn't there. Next, he went to the media room, the kitchen, and the private garden that the TARDIS had made as a gift for her, - as she did seem to be quite fond of his companion – but he came up with the same results. Where was she?

The Doctor searched for two hours more, checking every door he came across, but Rose was nowhere to be found. He looked in every nook and cranny, but she wasn't anywhere on the ship.

Oh.

What if she really wasn't anywhere on the ship. Rose could've gone outside while he'd been in a rage and he wouldn't even have noticed. He was too angry.

He made his way back to the console room and out through the doors. The first thing that hit his ears was the blaring noise of a siren. Ambulance, by the sound of it.

The Doctor walked out of the alley. He'd likely find Rose wherever the trouble was; it wouldn't be like her to be uninterested in helping others.

There were lights flashing about two blocks down from where the TARDIS was parked. The ambulance he'd heard was just driving away with its sirens still blaring. Someone must've been hurt. From the looks of it, they'd gotten hit while walking across the street or something.

Police were directing traffic and spectators were gathered around, all trying to see what happened. He looked around, but didn't see Rose anywhere. He went to the back of the crowd and tried to get a glimpse of what happened, but was unable to see.

"What happened?" He asked a man standing next to him.

"Someone was crossing the street and she got hit. Little blonde thing. I sure hope she'd alright." The man said, clearly concerned.

"How many people were hurt?"

"Just the one. The driver is okay. All he cares about is his cab. People these days." He shook his head and sighed. "It's terrible. I talked to the girl right before she walked out of my restaurant. She was pretty upset about something. I felt so bad. She had an accent like yours actually. From over the sea, are you?"

The Doctor felt all the blood drain from his face as he processed what the man just said. He could only imagine what his face looked like.

"Hey. Hey, are you alright?"

"Where is she?" He demanded.

The man gave him a look. "What?"

This wasn't helping his temper any. "I said, where is she? Where did they take her? Which hospital?"

"Uh, the nearest one is two blocks that way." He pointed. "Do you know her?"

"Know her? I…" He trailed off. Not only was this not the time, but he wasn't quite sure how he could describe how he felt about her to a simple human. Although, this man seemed more intelligent than most. "Thank you."

"Hey, no problem. I just hope the poor kid's okay."

But the Doctor wasn't listening anymore. He'd wasted enough time already. He needed to get to Rose and get to her now.

He ran the whole way there, deciding that bringing the TARDIS would've been a bad idea. He ran into the emergency entrance and went straight to the receptionist.

"Rose Tyler! Where is she?!" He asked maybe a little too harshly by the look on the woman's face.

She searched on her computer quickly. "I'm sorry. We don't have anyone here by that name."

"Blonde girl. Twenty. Car accident. Where is she?!" He spouted off the information at the woman. The look of confusion changed to recognition, but soon turned to pity.

"The doctors are with her now. You'll have to wait." She replied.

"How is she? Is it serious? Is she gonna be okay?" He shot the questions to her at rapid fire.

Her mouth was set in a thin line. She was clearly holding back the worst of it for him. "They are working with her now. The doctor will give a report when they're finished. It will be awhile yet. Are you a relative or someone in the position to fill out the paperwork?" She asked kindly.

He nodded. She handed him a clipboard and she directed him to the waiting area where he could sit.

After filling it out, he brought it back to the receptionist. She accepted it with a thank you, but he ignored her. His emotions right now were killing him. This was completely his fault. If he hadn't shouted and raved at her, she wouldn't have even left the TARDIS without him. Now she was in the hospital because she was hit by an idiot in a cab who was too preoccupied with getting where he wanted to go fast enough.

They hadn't told him how she was, so he didn't know exactly what condition she was in. Rose could be okay. Maybe it was just a few broken bones, bones that would heal. It was nothing to worry about.

Or she could be on her deathbed.

The Doctor slammed his fists on the coffee table in front of him, startling the other two people in the waiting area, but he didn't care. He needed to take his anger out on something. What he really felt like doing was finding that cabbie and making him wish he was never born. He hurt Rose. Even if he didn't mean to, it was bad enough that he was more upset with his taxi than with the girl he just rammed into.

Jackie would have to know and he'd have to be the one to tell her. He would've been dreading the slap on the cheek that he was gonna get, but it was more the thought of her screams at him and crying and just the look of despair on her face that he'd have to witness.

He'd have to go get her in the TARDIS and bring her here, but he didn't know when it would be that the Doctor would come to make the report and that wasn't something that he wanted to miss. He was just going to have to pick her up later.

Although, the Doctor was not very patient, due to traveling through time to whenever and wherever he wanted, he waited for two more hours before a man in doctor's scrubs holding a clipboard came out to the sitting room. He looked directly at him.

"Mr. John Smith?"

He stood immediately. He had put himself down on the paper as John Smith and Rose down as Rose Smith. Pretending they were married not only raised fewer questions, but it also meant he could see her right away.

He motioned him to follow him out to the hall. "Okay. From the looks of her injuries, the vehicle hit her legs first and swept out from underneath her, which caused her to hit her head rather roughly on the surface of the car. So, I have good news and bad news."

Why do they always have to say that? "Just tell me how she'd doin'."

"I'll start with the good news. Rose has suffered from seven broken ribs, both tibias are broken, and one broken femur, but she'll heal after time. Those injuries are lighter than what most car accident victims" After hearing the good news, he wasn't sure he could take the bad news. Rose getting hurt at all was bad news.

"What's the other part?" He asked.

The man sighed. "There's no easy way to say this-"

"Just spit it out!" He was getting tired of just not knowing what was wrong with her.

"Sir, she's in a coma." He finished.

The Doctor's blood ran cold. A coma? How could she be in a coma? Surely this wasn't happening. "When she hit her head on the vehicle, she was hit unconscious immediately and fell into a comatose state. There's no telling when she'll come out of it."

The Doctor staggered back a bit, blown away by the seriousness of this. She was in a coma and no one knew just when she'd come out. This was his fault. If just one thing had happened differently, she never would've left the TARDIS without him and she wouldn't be stuck in a hospital be right now. If he'd hadn't shouted at her or said she was a stupid ape or telling her that he didn't know why he kept her around…

"Could I see her?" He asked and the doctor nodded. He led him to a door just down the way and held it open for him.

The Doctor saw Rose and nearly broke down right there. She had a tube taped to her mouth and running down her throat and a bandage wrapped around her head. One leg was in a cast from the knee down and the left leg was laying on some sort of suspended bed. He was sure that underneath the hospital gown she had bandages around her chest too.

Slowly, he made his way to sit down in the chair next to her bed. He took her hand that had a pulse oximeter on one finger and he kissed it. He looked at her face and couldn't help, but fall back into that ocean of guilt. It wasn't unwarranted guilt though.

 _Of all the people to travel with I choose a stupid ape!_

His mind replayed what he'd so cruelly told her.

 _First, your dad and now this!_

It was mean enough to have implied that he didn't even want her there. Of course he did. After the Time War he'd been in so dark a place and she had healed him. He became dependent on her. He didn't know if he was going to be able to live without her, but it seemed that he might have to.

 _Can't you do anything right?!_

"I'm sorry, Rose." He whispered, holding her hand to his face. "I'm so, so sorry." And he quietly began to cry.

 **There will be more of this. I assure you. It was actually really difficult to write this. I didn't know exactly what to get the Doctor mass at her I just chose an incredibly important part of the TARDIS. Hopefully it worked well enough. What do you think? Was it believable? Let me know in a review cuz I am really anxious to know if I did this right. Also any advice on comas or other medical stuff is greatly welcomed. Thanks!**


End file.
